International Affairs

Research & Society

ENHANCE aims to influence how we research. The alliance focuses on involving society in research projects and is committed to the idea of a quadruple helix of science, business, politics and society.

In the area of research, the ENHANCE Transdisciplinary Project Catalyst provides a platform for exchange on transdisciplinary research formats. The aim is to identify together how students can be better involved in research projects in the spirit of service-based learning. The Catalyst will also help researchers from ENHANCE universities develop joint transdisciplinary research projects.

Transdisciplinary research and teaching also go hand in hand at ENHANCE. A toolkit of application-oriented methods and practices from a teaching perspective is being developed. In this way, ENHANCE aims to contribute to a common and deeper understanding of transdisciplinarity. Drawing on the resulting experiences, recommendations on how to strengthen transdisciplinary teaching will be developed in a policy paper.

Research

ENHANCE also aims to provide a platform for student research projects and to support the placement of students in research projects.

Researchers in ENHANCE should be able to benefit from further training opportunities offered by all member universities. This should strengthen their competences in the area of transferable skills.

An important building block for strengthening joint research in ENHANCE is the Horizon2020-funded ENHANCERIA programme, which aims to support research and innovation activities of ENAHNCE universities in such a way that they actively contribute to a more sustainable development in Europe.

The universities in the alliance are pooling their expertise in four core themes:

  •     Sustainable development through transdisciplinary research
  •     Sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation ecosystems
  •     Career development in science
  •     Research infrastructures

The TU Berlin is the lead institution for the topic of sustainable development through transdisciplinary research.

Education

To fulfil the ENHANCE vision of a European University as integral part of society, ENHANCE wants to foster transdisciplinarity and cocreation with society. Several partners engage actively in cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral science, however there is need to develop a common understanding of and methods for transdisciplinary education.

ENHANCE identifies great potential in the concept of transdisciplinary education. The complexity of major global challenges such as climate change, migration, global health, and urbanization, requires collaborative and participative approaches. Transdisciplinarity seeks to describe, recognize and explore knowledge and proficiency across, over and beyond disciplines, to create strategic research alliances between university and society.

The importance of transdisciplinary educationis also emphasised in the Alliance's Education Strategy. For TU Berlin, Dr. Thorsten Phillipp is significantly involved in the development of the topic of transdisciplinary education in ENHANCE. Together with representatives of the other partner universities, he conducted workshops to develop a common understanding of the topic. The workshops form the basis for the Toolkit on Transdisciplinary Education developed in ENHANCE.

 

Contact

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